Two Years Ago

Two years ago this week we moved to Massachusetts. We moved into our house on a Friday and Brenna started Kindergarten on Monday morning. It was a crazy time. Leaving our home in Maryland and moving to a place where we did not know a soul. It was scary and exciting all at once.

It was a period of great upset for Brenna. She was still very much in the early stages of mourning the loss of Kathy, her Bubbie, and then she was uprooted from her home, school, her friends, and Liz (the best friend and next door neighbor that a girl could ever have). I remember being so worried about her those first few weeks. We worried about how she would adjust; how she would like her new school and her new friends.

As I look back on this time, I am amazed at how well Brenna, and the rest of us adjusted. It did not happen right away, of course, but it has happened. I think in a way it was easier than I thought it would be for the kids. They had school and were fortunate to find some new friends there from the start. Lucky for me, they made some good decisions early on, and I have become friends with a number of the classmates' parents. As they got more involved, we met more people through dance, soccer, hockey and their other activities.

And now, two years later, I can honestly say that I feel at home here in Plymouth. I feel like we are finally all in a groove now. The kids have a lot of nice friends and they truly enjoy school and their sports, etc. After 2 1/2 years on the job, Todd has settled in nicely. He still works long hours, and travels quite a bit, but he seems to be really enjoying it now. And that, after all, is a big reason why we moved.

I have been lucky to have found a lot of nice friends up here too. It is weird when you move some place and you have no friends. It takes awhile to make friends, to find people with commons interests. It is also a bit strange to be put in this position at this stage in my life. I have not been in such a circumstance since I was in middle school and moved from Maryland to Austria. And, I think it was a bit easier then since I was so young.

As I reflect on our current situation, I am aware that I have been very fortunate. It took some time, but I have made a lot of really nice friends since moving here. So many people have welcomed us into their lives, introduced us to friends and family. And for that, I am truly thankful.

Now don't get me wrong, I still miss my friends and family in Maryland. I find myself referring to Plymouth as "home" when I am visiting Maryland, and Maryland as "home" when I am here. (I try not to do that around the kids too much as it is a bit confusing for them sometimes.) Moving away from Maryland has, to no surprise, made me even more aware of the lasting friendships that we have with many of our friends. I am not, nor have I even been, the best corespondent. (In fact, that is one of the reasons that I started this blog. I wanted to try and stay in touch a little more. Odd, though as it is a bit one-sided. :) But for now, it works for me.) Even so, I find that I can pick up the phone, or shoot an e-mail off to one of my friends that I have not seen or talked to in ages, and it is like we were just together yesterday. We have been lucky to see many of our friends on our various trips home. (And some have come to visit.) While I think of many of these people often, I have not been as good about calling or writing as I would like to be. But, when we see each other, even if it is only once a year or two, it is still very comfortable and we easily fall back into conversations and catch up. I believe that this is one of the characteristics of a true friendship. And we are lucky to have a number of friends like this.

OK, I am done being sentimental. I just felt as though this was a good time to reflect. To all of our new friends, thank you for welcoming us to Massachusetts. We feel at home here, and you are certainly a big part of that. And to all of our friends from back home (Maryland, Virginia, etc.) thanks for being there. Know that we miss you all, and think of you often. And despite this geographical change, we are so glad that you are all still a part of our lives!

The 2009 Colvin Family Tour- Part 3

(WARNING- This is a Long post!)

We spent the last few days of our vacation in St. Michael's Maryland. Todd and I used to love to spend weekends there (before kids) so we were excited to get a chance to return there with the kids for my Sister's wedding.

We headed over on Friday afternoon and found that we were the last of the O'Hara family to arrive. Sean, Tracy and the kids had flown in from Colorado on Thursday night. And Kevin, Victoria and Amber, and my Mom and Dad, had driven up that day. Christy and Reg had been there for a few days and met us all at the hotel when we got there.

It was soooo great to see everyone. We had not seen The Colorado O'Haras since June 2008. The kids have grown so much! We had not seen Amber since her High School graduation 3 years ago! And now she is entering her Senior year in College! It had been ages since we had all been together. (I think it was my Dad's 70th Birthday party.) The only ones missing this time were Ryan and Shane, and they were sorely missed.

To no surprise, the kids ran off with each other as soon as we got there. Brenna was especially happy to have her 2 older girl cousins (Delaney and Amber) to spend some time with. She got such a kick hanging around with them.

Friday night was the Rehearsal Dinner- a crab feast at The Crab Claw. Since we can not get Maryland Crabs (or even Maryland crab meat) up in MA, this was an extra special treat for me. The Masons (Reg's parents) threw a wonderful party. The weather was perfect, and the food was plentiful. We had a chance to get to meet Reg's family, and spend lots of time catching up with everyone else. We had a great time. Brenna was the roving photographer for the Colvin family that night. She got some cute pictures.

Christy and her oldest friend, Yvette & her husband.

Brenna and her oldest cousin, Amber.

Delaney, Amber & Todd.

Pop Pop and Conor.

The Mason and the O'Haras.

The O'Hara clan.

The next morning Christy's friends, Paula and Yvette, hosted a Bridal Breakfast for the ladies at the Inn at Perry Cabin. The food and the ambiance were wonderful. It was a great way to start the day. Brenna enjoyed spending the morning with all of the ladies.

Christy, Victoria, Tracy, Delaney, Amber, me, and Brenna.

After breakfast, we headed into St. Michael's. We hit a few shops, had some lunch, and of course, had to get some ice cream!

The wedding has held at the Inn at Perry Cabin at 5:30 PM. The ceremony was held right by the water. It was a beautiful location. Unfortunately due to the position of my seat, I was not able to get any good shots of the actual ceremony. Here is the one of Christy's entrance, and some of the family taken afterwards.

The Grandkids.

O'Hara Family Portrait--- Kevin, Dad, Sean, Christy, Mom & Me.

Sean & Tracy.

The Cousins- Delaney, Conor, Brenna, Jack and Andrew.

Andrew & Conor.

The wedding reception was wonderful. Reg and Christy planned out every little detail of the party and it paid off. Everyone had a great time.

The kids had their own table which was full of things to color, play with and eat. They had a blast sitting by themselves. Amber was a trooper, being the oldest (21) "Kid" at the Kid Table! Conor, Jack and Brenna danced up a storm that night!

Dancing with Uncle Reg.

Andrew took this picture of Christy and Reg's first dance. Gotta love the vantage point.

And here is what the kids' table looked like at the end of the night. Cute, eh?

Poor Andrew. He was so worn out that he fell asleep for the last hour of the wedding.

We had to head back to MA the next morning when the kids woke up (since we were driving straight through). Unfortuatly, we had to miss the breakfast that Reg and Christy hosted before they headed off on their Honeymoon. So, we had to say our good-byes Saturday night.

What a great celebration this was! It was nice to have a few days to spend with our family. It had been way too long. I look forward to the next big family celebration (whenever that may be)!

The 2009 Colvin Family Tour- Part 2

So after a few wonderful days with the Workman family, we headed back to 'ol Hampstead. We were able to spend three very relaxing days with the Hordesky family. Now, the only bummer about this part of the trip was that Kevin was away with some friends at the beach. Andrew had been dying to see him and talk about all things boy (baseball, hockey. etc) and play some Wii and X-box with him. Luckily we found out about this ahead of time and were able to break the news to him before we got there. And, of course, Liz was kind enough to hook up all of the video games for him and play with him.

As usual, the kids just ran off to play as soon as we got there. They really are the bestest of friends. I have always known how lucky Brenna and Andrew are to have Liz as a friend, but you can not help to be reminded of this when you see them together for days on end. They did everything together for 3 days, with no upset. It is such a wonderful thing to see.

The visit was nice and laid back. Colleen had already arranged her work schedule to be off while we were there and Carl took 2 days off too. Carl and Todd headed out to Ravens training camp (again, without the camera!). I think Todd was able to enjoy it a bit more this time around! It is funny to think that we never went to Ravens training camp when we lived there, and this summer Todd got to go twice. He still is, of course, a die hard Ravens fan!

The kids were up to all of their usual stuff. They never seem to get bored. The girls found hours of amusement taking tons (and I mean tons!) of goofy pictures with Brenna's camera, like this one....

Both Todd and I were spoiled on this visit. Carl made his AMAZING Wings for Todd which made him quite happy. No one makes wings like Carl. When we lived in Maryland, it was what he always brought for special occasions. Now that we have moved, it has become a normal part of a Hordesky visit. As for me, Colleen and Carl stocked the house with chocolate.... Colleen made a decadent chocolate cake (OMG!), and Liz made some great brownies. The fridge/ freezer was stocked with ice cream, Schwan chocolate treats and Klondike bars. And of course, I felt obligated to eat as much of it as possible. :) After all, I would not want to be rude!

The kids wound down at the end of each day with a movie selection. They huddled up on the couch in their PJs and just relaxed. Even Todd joined in the fun one night.

This trip was extra special because we got to see the Simms Family (well, everyone except Mike who had to work). Nancy drove up on Thursday with the boys. We had not seen them since their trip up north for Memorial Day in 2008, so we were all so happy that they could come see us. The boys had grown so much. I knew that they had, but I was amazed once I saw them. All of the kids played great together (it is amazing how a Nintendo DS can bridge the gap between boys and girls, regardless of their ages!). You have gotta love electronics!



And look at how big Tyler is now! The boys were so cute together.

The kids played together all day, and Nancy, Colleen and I had some to to sit back, chat and catch up. It was the perfect visit, just too short, and missing Mike. Thanks for making the trek up north Nancy!

That evening our friends, the Morrisons, were kind enough to invite us over for dinner. We had not seen them in awhile, but it was like we had been there just yesterday. It was a cool night and we were able to hang out on their deck and catch up, enjoy some great food, company, and the views of Hampstead. The last time we were all together, their son Ryan, was not quite into playing with Andrew yet. But this time, it was totally different. The girls played with the girls and the boys played so nicely with all of Ryan's great boy toys. (He had just had his birthday so he had some really cool new toys which Andrew was amazed by. Now I have some good ideas for Christmas!)

On Friday, it was time to say "see you later". The kids (and even the adults) have come a long way in saying that. It is hard to believe that it was almost 2 years ago to the day, that Brenna and I were crying our eyes out in the Hordesky driveway as we prepared to drive to BWI to fly up north. (Poor Andrew, he was so confused by the whole thing back then.) But at least we have established a good routine of seeing each other, and we are all pretty good about staying in contact when we are in between visits. This makes the parting, which is still so hard, just a little easier.

Thanks so much for another wonderful visit Hordesky Family. It was, as usual, a great time! We miss you already!

The 2009 Colvin Family Tour- Part 1

We have been crazy busy here since returning to MA last week. Brenna had an art class all week (which she loved) and she started cheerleading practice. We were running around so much that I did not have any time to upload my pictures or even update the blog (there is so much to say!) I have a bit of time now before I have to take Brenna to the dentist so I will try and get some of this up now. So, here is part 1 of the Colvin Family Tour 2009!

We started our vacation off with a brief visit to Avoca, PA and spent the night with our friends, Mike and Jean Carroll. Despite us arriving much later than expected (the traffic and weather were terrible), they had a great meal and come cocktails waiting for us on our arrival. They always make us feel so at home. It was so nice to spend some time with them and catch up. Thanks Jean and Mike!

Now no visit to Avoca would be complete without a visit to the Moosic Diner.

So, before hitting the road on Saturday, we stopped off for breakfast there. The kids just love this place, especially the treasure chest that they get to hit if they eat a good meal. Brenna was extra thrilled this time because they made her a cheeseburger for breakfast! They made her morning!

We headed next to Todd and Jenn's house. It was great to see all of the kids together. They were so excited to see each other. It was as if they had seen each other just yesterday. As soon as we got there, they ran off to play together for hours. On Saturday night, Todd and Jenn were kind enough to host a little get together at their house. Martin, Stacey, Jenna and Alyssa popped over for a bit. It was so great to see them. It has been almost a year since we had seen them last. I was amazed at how much the girls had changed. They are so big now!

Colleen, Carl and Liz came too and stayed for a nice relaxing (and delicious) cookout. The kids were quite content amusing themselves and we had some nice quality adult time.

The next morning, all of the kids got up and headed out to Ravens training camp with Todd and Todd. I was surprised that all of the girls wanted to go, but they did. Brenna was very impressed when she saw Ray Lewis. Unfortunately, the guys forgot their cameras so I do not have any good pictures to post. :(

We spent the next two days hanging out at pool that Todd and Jenn joined this year. It was perfect for the kids. They had a great "kids" pool (up to 4 1/2 feet) which Andrew was able to get around in quite nicely with his vest. And they loved the waterfall.



Brenna and Andrew even ventured up to the big lap pool for awhile. It was great to see what amazing swimmers Kaylee and Emma have become after their hard work on the swim team this year.

Andrew spent the majority of his time jumping in and out of the pool. This was a new thing for him this year and he loved it!

And then, of course, they all had to join in. It was quite cute!

We were fortunate to be able to schedule some time with Aunt Laura, Uncle Chuck, Jason and Brittany too. Laura and Chuck has us (and the Workman clan) down for dinner one night. Chuck made his World Famous Pork Chops, which is all Todd truly needed to be happy. As usual, Jason played with the kids non stop until he had to leave for one of his night classes. Brittany was nice enough to stick around and hang out with us even after her Hubby had to leave. It was so nice to sit back, relax and just catch up with them. We are hoping that they are going to be able to fit in a trip up north to see us this Fall!

As always, it was sad to say "good-bye", or better yet, "see you later". But it looks as though the Workman family may be gutsy enough to venture up north again this year for New Years with us! We are super excited about that! Thanks for a super, wonderful, awesome visit guys! We miss you already!

We're Back....

We had a whirlwind and fun filled visit to Maryland. I am in the process of uploading a ton of pics and as soon as I get them done, I will post about our exciting vacation, visits with friends and family, and my sister's wedding. We had such a great time. Thanks to everyone who made this visit so special!

Before doing all of that, I thought that I would share with you some rare footage of the talented O'Hara Dance Troupe. This is a multi generational interpretive dance to Prince's 1999! Sorry, the quality is not that good (I took the video on Brenna's camera) but it is priceless. The stars are my nephews, Conor & Jack, Brenna, my Big Brother Kevin (wearing the head-dress) and my niece Amber.

Enjoy.